The present invention relates to furnishings for open office spaces and the like, an in particular to an external utilities manager for post and beam furniture systems.
Portable partition systems for open office spaces and other similar settings are well known in the art. Individual partition panels are interconnected in different configurations to form separate offices, workstations and/or work settings. The partition panels are extremely durable and can be readily disassembled and reassembled into alternative configurations to meet the ever-changing needs of the user. Examples of such partition systems are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,822,146; 3,831,330; and 4,144,924, which are owned by Steelcase Development Inc., the assignee of the present application.
Post and beam furniture systems have also been developed to divide open plans three dimensionally into individual workstations and/or work settings. Examples of such furniture systems are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,003,275; 5,950,371; and 5,889,025, which are also owned by Steelcase Development Inc., the assignee of present application.
Changing technology and changing work processes demand that current office furnishings be readily adaptable to efficiently support the ever-changing needs of workers, such that the reconfigurability of the system, and the efficient routing of utilities to the various workstations are desired to meet these needs.
One aspect of the present invention is a post and beam furniture system for partitioning open office spaces and the like, comprising at least one overhead beam disposed in a normally horizontal orientation, and having at least one side face thereof disposed in a normally vertical orientation. The furniture system also includes at least one vertical post having a lower portion thereof adapted to be supported on an associated floor surface, and an upper portion thereof connected with the beam to retain the beam at a predetermined elevation above the floor surface. The post includes at least two outwardly protruding flanges which extend along the length of the post. The furniture system also incorporates an external utilities manager including at least one vertical raceway having a hollow interior configured to route utilities therealong, and an enclosed exterior disposed generally between the flanges of an associated one of the posts, and extending therealong to an open upper end. At least one horizontal raceway is positioned adjacent to and extends along the side face of the beam, and includes an interior configured to route utilities therealong, and at least one end positioned adjacent to and communicating with the upper end of the vertical raceway to route utilities throughout the furniture system.
Another aspect of the present invention is an external utilities manager for post and beam furniture systems of the type having at least one overhead beam disposed in a normally horizontal orientation with at least one side face thereof disposed in a normally vertical orientation, and at least one vertical post having a lower portion thereof adapted to be supported on an associated floor surface, an upper portion thereof connected with the beam to retain the beam at a predetermined elevation above the floor surface, and at least two outwardly protruding flanges which extend along the length of the post. The external utilities manager comprises at least one vertical raceway having a hollow interior configured to route utilities therealong, and an enclosed exterior shaped to be positioned generally between the flanges of the posts, and extending therealong to an open end thereof. At least one horizontal raceway is positioned adjacent to and extends closely along the side face of the beam, and includes an interior configured to route utilities therealong, and at least one end positioned adjacent to and communicating with the upper end of the vertical raceway to route utilities throughout the furniture system.
The principle objects of the present invention are to provide a utilities manager that routes utilities external of a post and beam furniture system to effectively and efficiently provide utilities to individual workstations without detracting from the aesthetics of the furniture system. Vertical raceways extend generally between outwardly protruding flanges on the posts, and horizontal raceways extend along the side faces of the beams to provide a completely integrated design theme. The vertical and horizontal raceways may have a see-through appearance to create a unique look and feel that complements the design of the furniture system. The furniture system and related external utilities manager are efficient in use, economical to manufacture, capable of a long operating life and particularly well adapted for the proposed use.
These and other advantages of the invention will be further understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art by reference to the following written specification, claims and appended drawings.